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The talks in Doha are Lebanon's last chance to avoid another civil war. Unfortunately though, they seem to be going nowhere. Obviously, the Lebanese rivals have not learned from the lessons of the recent fighting in Beirut and the central mountains which left 100 people dead and national wounds that will not heal anytime soon.
It is time for statesmanship, not brinkmanship. The Lebanese people have said it very clearly to their leaders when they were leaving for Doha; if you don't agree, don't come back.
After three days of talks the leaders still have nothing to show their people. And that is mainly because of their selfish pursuit of small political gains at the expense of national interest.
The main point of contention is the division of the Beirut Governorate in a new electoral law. Agreement on it would facilitate the election of a new president. However, each party wants to divide the capital constituencies in a different way - to secure a few more votes in the next elections, slated for May 2009.
The Arab League and Qatar, host of the current talks, have done everything possible to bridge the gap. But it remains the responsibility of Lebanon's leaders to act responsibly, to save their small and beautiful country.
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